Sanitary foundation



v E. C. HODGES.

SANITARY FOUNDATION. A APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I, 1920. 1,433,205., Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. C. HODGES.

SANITARY FOUNDATION. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1920.

1,433,205. Patented oet. 24,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I I, ,Y I

Patented @et 24, i922.

EMERY C. HODGES, OIE JOLIET, ILLINOIS.

SANITARY FOUNDATION.

Application filed September 7, 1920. Serial No; 408,471.

To all whom it may concern:

` Be it known that l, EMERY C. Honoris, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Joliet, county of lVill, and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Sanitaryrhoundation, of which the following is a specification. t

My invention relates to buildings of all classes and has for its primary object the provision of a sanitary foundation for said buildings. i

A further object of my invention is the provision of a sanitary foundation that is economical to construct and that will exclude moisture and obnoxious gases from the building. y

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specication, and in which, V

F ig. l is a top plan viewfof' my foundation, and

Fig. 2 is a sectionall view along the line 2 2 of Fig. i. 'j 1 The preferred form of construction coinprises a foundation having double walls l and 2, said double walls l and 2 being constructed of waterproof blocks having watertight joints, said blocks forming the subject matter of Patent No. 847,476 isssued March 19 1907, lto this applicant.

hlxtending around the exterior side..l of said foundation is an excavation 3 which abuts the walls of the foundation on its inner side. `l/Vithin said foundation the earth is removed to a depth or" three or four feet below the basement door line. Extending into the. basement from the exterior wall and at a point beneath the level of the rbaseof the basement at any point around the exterior circumference of the building.

After the installation of the ventilator pipes within the foundation, large clean porous cinders are dumped into the outer excavation 3 and into the basement. 4`When the cinders reach the level of the floor line within the basement and the ventilator pipes are fully covered, they are carefully levelled and the floor built upon the cinder founda- 65 tion. The exterior excavation is iilled with cinders about three-quarters of its entire depth, and the crushed rock is used to fill up the remaining quarter; the purpose. of

the crushed rock being to prevent the loose,

small dry V ashes from being blown away and also to assist in creating a neat and attractive foundation.

. 'A drain pipe 9 extending around the circumferential exteriory of .the exterior excavation is provided, said drain pipe being adapted to drain into a cinder filled sump. l0 by means of a drainage line ll, and where the sanitary foundation is builtl near a sewer a ventilator pipe l2 may be extended from 80 the sewer to the sump 10. A pump casing 13 is inserted into the sump l0 and provides means whereby drainage water coming from around the foundation may be pumped from the sump, however, such action would be aforesaid foundation, absolutely dry and sanitary in every respect. The air passing down through the loose gravel and cinders in the exterior excavation passes into the basement ventilator vpipes 4, into the Vporous cinders beneath the-basement floor and up through the pores in said floor into the basement, thus keeping the basement fioor dry and allowing only pure and fresh air to iiow into the basement. rlhe air flowing from the inner end of oneI ventilator pipe, 4, after passing through the intervening portion of the porous bed will enter the similar end of an oppositefpipe or pipes and pass through the latter be discharged at the end of such pipe or pipes, 4, outside the .110

rlhe provision. of 90 building, a circulation of air being thus effected and resulting in the carrying off from beneath the basement `floor of any noxious or other objectionable gases tending to accumulate beneath such floor, this circulatory action taking place especially under conditions or wind pressure uponone side of the building that tends to blow or force air through the pipe, 1l, from that side of the building. The air passing into the ventilator pipes 5 Vand 6 travels under the ground to the space between the opposite walls and is ypermitted to flow freely about said space. During the hot summer months the air passing through the ground to the opposite `wall will be cooled and upon reaching the space between theopposite .walls will keep said walls coolfand dry. ln the winter time the frosty air `will be warmed during its passage beneathithe ground to `the opposite walls and will consequently keep the walls warm and dry.

Appli ant has discovered that by the use of the exterior excavation about a building `that a basement may be 'kept absolutely dry and free fromiobnoxious odors. In the foundation constructions .in use today .the earth is packed solidly about the exterior of the sunken wall and water seepingl through the earth adjacent the sunken wall keeps said wall -in a damp condition at all times, the nature of the earth being such that air is not lpermitted to reach the damp `wall and dry it out. -Oft times in heavy `rains or floods the pressure of the earth acts `upon stratas of water and forces said water Athrough the pores lof the wall and into the basement. However, withmy foundation .-no `water willbe permitted to gain admittance :to the basement inasmuch as it is drained off as fast'as itgathers infthe outer excavation and inasmuch as the porous filler will allow Y'the airto permeate the excavation the wall will dry'ofl2 very quickly.

A gaseous basement is caused by the fermentation of vegetation `in strates in the ground. As the fermentation increases the gas attempts to escape -to the air through stratas in the ground and should some of these stratas abut a foundationthe gas following said stratas will come-in contact with lthe sides of the side walls and due to the ever increasing pressure from behind will be forced through the cracks and pores of the foundation into vthe basement. The eX- cavation around the outer circumference of the foundation `will arevent :ras from com-l ing in contact with `the side walls. It will merely flow into `the porous cinders and easily find an exit eXteriorly of the wall of Vthe basement.

lVhile l :have illustrated and described the preferred form oli-construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. l, therefore, do not wish tobe limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of he appended claims. Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :"-V

l. A building construction having hollow walls, a pipe or `pipes which extend beneath the buildingvata level belowthefsurface of the ground -adjacent'the building, such pipe or pipes at one endopening to theexterior of the Vbuilding `and having an air inlet ther-eat and at the other'end opening into the wall space` and delivering airthereto.

2. rbuilding construction-having hollow walls, a pipe or pipes whiclizextend beneath the'building at a level below the surface of the ground adjacent the building, such pipe or pipesat one end openingto theexterior of 4the building and having' an air inlet thereat and at the other endopening into the wall spaceand delivering air thereto, and filtering material above the inlet end or ends of such :pipe or gpipes.

3. A. *building construction having a floor,

-pipes leading from-outside the building `at separated points whereat :they open to the air outsidethe 'building and extending ibeneath `the floor with theirinner ends-open yand separated vor lspaced apart, such -ends being in communication with a common chamber, whereby `air flowing from one of such pipes beneath the floor may find its waybeneath the floor to the open `end ofthe other pipe beneath the floor. n

Ll. A buildingl `construction having a floor, a porous filler :beneath `the floor, and reaching to a depth 'below the level ofthe vgroundadjacent `the building; and means to circulate air `through said Ifiller1-comprising `a pipe connection between the same and the exterior of the building, said v,pipe connection having exterior to the building` an air inlet, and an-air outlet from such 4llerl 5. a building,construction having ancor, a 4porous filler lbeneath the floor and reaching toa depth below the levelof-ithe ground adjacent the Abuilding exterior, means .to introduce air `into -gsaid j filler y comprising ya pipe vor pipes leading from a point `exterior to the building and .receiving air thereat, having an air outlet into the filler, lmeans for passing air from said filler, a porous fillerV -in an excavation `adjacent the building eX- terior into which said pipe or pipes extend,

and a drain fpipe in said external .filler at Va lower levellthan the air receiving portion of said pipe 4or pipes.

6. A building construction having' a floor, a porous filler beneath the floor and reaching to a depth below the level of the ground adjacent the building exterior, means to circulate air through said filler comprising an open-ended pipe leading from a point exterior of the building into the iiller, and a porous iiller in an excavation adjacent the building exterior 'into which said pipe extends.

7 A building construction having hollow side walls and a floor, a porous filler in an excavation adjacent the building exterior, a porous liller beneath the floor reaching to a depth below the level of the ground adjacent the building exterior, means to circulate air through said filler beneath the Hoor comprising piping that extends from such ller to the Hller in the external excavation, and means establishing air communication between the interior of the hollow walls and the exterior of the building comprising piping leading from the filler in the external excavation to the interior of the hollow walls.

8. A building construction having a fioor, a porous filler beneath the floor and reaching to a depth below the level ot the ground adjacent the building exterior, and pipes extending outwardly rom the filler in opposite directions and reaching to the exterior of the building, such pipes being open to the ller beneath the floor and being open at their outer ends.

. 9. .A building construction having a floor, a porous iller beneath the floor and reaching to a. depth below the level of the ground adjacent Athe building exterior', pipes extending outwardly from the ller in opposite directions and reaching to the exterior of the building, such pipes being open to the filler beneath the loor and being open at their outer ends, and a filler of porous inaterial in an excavation outside the building in which said pipes terminate.

In testimony whereof I have signed myv naine to this speciiication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMEIi-Y C. HODGES. Writnesses:

JOSHUA R. H. Porre, Rosa K. TRIB. 

